Kuroi Neko Amulet
by VolknersGirl
Summary: Amulet Kuroi Neko? Ikuto x Amu
1. Prologue

Info for story:

Neko – cat

Arigato – thank you

Kokoro – heart

Kuroi - black

Baka – stupid, dumb

Nani – what?

Demo – but…

Oi - hey

Matte – wait

-nya = Yoru's cat like ending to every sentence like "Not telling-meow."

Basugasubakuhatsu – Japanese tongue twister

* * *

Kuroi Neko Amulet

Prologue

* * *

"Amu-chan!"

"You have to get ready!"

"At least put on a decent shirt rather than that tank top!"

"Oi, Oi! Just a minute!" Amu yawned waving to her charas. She flopped onto her soft bed and closed her eyes-only for a moment…

_???_**_~*~*~_**_???_

Something soft and silky, almost fur like, was brushing against her cheeks and unsettling her eyelashes. A warm breath smelling slightly of catnip or something of the sort was blowing on her mouth. Amu slowly opened her eyes, still in a daze. Two glistening orbs shone back at her with intense curiosity and vague amusement.

"WHA-?!" Amu exclaimed shooting up into a sitting position and clutching the bed sheet to her chest.

"Basugasubakuhatsu!" Yoru exclaimed happily.

"Yoru." Ikuto cautioned sitting back.

Amu glowered bristling angrily at the two of them. Ikuto just looked back at her seriously. _That's odd – he's not smirking as usual when he bothers me... _Disregarding this thought, Amu turned to look at Ran, Miki and Su. They were watching Yoru spin in happy circles with looks of confusion and concern almost like sadness on their faces.

"Ran? Miki? Su? What's wrong?" Amu asked dropping the bed sheet. She frowned and her charas turned to looked at her.

"Yoru said –" Ran began. Before she could finish her sentence Ikuto tapped her on the head lightly.

"Don't listen to Yoru." He said unsmiling and stood. Amu watched as he walked to her balcony with a melancholic face. He disappeared without another word leaving Yoru behind.

"Ikuto-nya!" the little chara exclaimed. He was about to follow when Amu stood and grabbed Yoru by the tail.

"What did you say to Ran?" she asked raising her eyebrow.

"Not telling-nya!" he said struggling to get away. Amu sighed and released him. Yoru shot into the wall and, squirming to straighten himself out, flew out the window in pursuit of Ikuto.

"What happened Ran?" Amu asked, turned and plopped back onto her bed.

"Yoru said Ikuto hasn't been acting normally!" Ran exclaimed and covered her mouth with her pompoms looking around to see if she would get rapped on the head again.

"Yeah, that he hasn't been happy for some reason!" Miki added and looked around.

"He hasn't smiled at all!" Su said and hid under the covers.

Amu looked around her room and remembered that look of melancholic depression she had seen on Ikuto's face when he left. A resolution came to her then.

_I have to make him laugh…_


	2. Guardian Cerimony

In addition to others:

Ki ni shinaide – never mind

Ikou- come on; let's go

Gomennasai – casual sorry

Sumimasen! – formal sorry

* * *

Kuroi Neko Amulet

Chapter One

* * *

Amu glanced at the clock on her bedside table.

"8:15 [PM]!" she cried. "I'm going to be late!"

Her confusing encounter with Ikuto had distracted Amu. She had to hurry and rush to get dressed now because the ceremony was at nine. Plus she had to meet the other guardians a few minutes before. Tonight was a ceremonial introduction of the Guardians to both the new students and parents of Seiyo Academy. They had agreed that many of the parents didn't know much about them or their duties to the school so the president and founder of the Guardians, also known as the Caretaker of the Planetarium, had proposed that they have some sort of introduction ceremony. The official time was nine o'clock tonight and Tadase had offered to meet everyone in the town square at eight fifty in order for them all to arrive together.

Amu continued pouring the contents of her closet all over the room darting back and forth in her anxiety to find the perfect outfit.

"This one?"

"No this one!"

"No that one!"

"Ugh!"

Outside on the rooftop just above her room sat a cat flicking his tail back and forth, listening intently to the commotion below. He closed his eyes and waited in contentment until the commotion stopped. Once it did so, he made a move to leave for he was sure that she was gone, but paused as his navy ears picked up on a small sound below. Swiveling them towards the noise, he made no other movements.

The door slid open and Amu stepped out onto her balcony. Leaning on the rail she smiled and looked down to the drive below. Ran, Miki and Su followed her out floating happily.

"See Amu-chan? It's not that bad." Miki said.

"You look so pretty." Su added quietly.

"And, you'll be fine. We'll cheer you on! Go! Go! Amu-chan!" Ran squealed in delight. Amu just nodded. Ikuto turned his head to see what they had finally decided on and felt frozen in place.

Amu wore a short sweater like dress that barely reached the length of her school skirt. The turtleneck hung loosely under her chin and a pattern of intertwined threads went down two sides of the off-white dress. Two leather white belts crossed at her waist directly above the scrunched ending hem and hung on her hips. Her black lace up boots and socks reached her thighs while two perfectly curled pink buns decorated the sides of her head. In addition, she wore a glittering white headband and Ikuto noticed the humpty lock hanging around her neck as well.

Amu shivered despite the long sleeves of her dress that passed her knuckles and hugged herself around the shoulders. Suddenly one of the charas called out.

"It's snowing Amu-chan!"

Amu looked up at the sky and a wide smile spread over her mouth. Glinting in the moonlight, Ikuto noticed that she also wore lip gloss. He smiled despite the omnipresent cloud of depression that had claimed him recently. The thought of her wearing lip gloss just to impress the little king was amusing.

"Amu-chan! You should get your coat!" Su exclaimed. The girl ignored her and smiled up at the moon. The three charas sweat dropped and floated inside to emerge a few moments later with a coat. Amu turned and reluctantly pulled it on refusing to fasten the five black buckles that went down the sides to about her waist. The coat was in fact longer than the dress and reached the tip of her thigh high socks. It was red and black checkered with a black interior that was noticeable as Amu flicked it back somewhat irritably. Two black buckles were added as decorations around the upper arms of the coat and clicked as Amu fastened them before slipping her hands in the pockets and returning her attention to the snow.

By now it had settled on the top of her head and the white head band glinted brilliantly in the reflection of the moon. Ikuto's tail flicked involuntarily and this movement caught Amu's attention. She turned but saw noting except the black tiles of her roof.

"Neko!" Miki exclaimed pointing behind her. Amu spun widely and the jacket fluttered in her haste. Her eyes quivered in anticipation. Seeing nothing Amu's shoulders dropped and she looked back to the drive below.

"What are you talking about Miki?" Ran asked putting her hands on her hips.

"Ki ni shinaide." Miki muttered.

Amu wondered why she had become so excited. It's not like Ikuto would be around anyways. And even if he was, what did it matter?

"Ikou…[come on]" Amu sighed and turned to go back inside. The charas nodded and went inside ahead of her. She paused and turned once more to the roof with a smile. She could have sworn the shape of a boy with cat ears was sitting in the shadows there.

Or not.

Amu blinked and could see nothing. Her smile faltered and she frowned.

"Ikou, Amu-chan!" Su called. Amu turned and disappeared into her room.

~*~*~

Walking down the bustling city street, Amu noticed the pet shop lights out of the corner of her eye. Checking the time on her watch, she decided this might be one of the ways she could cheer up Ikuto. Looking around, she saw none of the other guardians and so turned to enter the pet shop.

A bell tinkled overhead and a head popped up behind the counter.

"Sumimasen, are you closing?" Amu asked.

"Just about, but feel free to look around for a few minutes if you know what you need!" the head relied with a smile and disappeared below the counter once more. Amu looked at her charas and shrugged.

Walking down the nearest isle she scanned the titles. There was everything pet related you could ever need. From dog brushes to fish food to hamster tunnels, it was a pet paradise. Looking around for the cat section, Amu spotted a large orange kitten sign across the next aisle. Walking over to it, she scanned the titles again. Two things popped out at her. A whack feathered toy that the cat's batted backwards and forwards, and a can of chicken flavored cat food.

"Hm…"

Amu picked up the tiniest half pound bag of catnip in one hand and the toy in the other. As she was studying them a box of cat treats caught her eye. Her head spun.

"Which one of these would he like?!" she exclaimed.

"Who?" a voice asked from behind her. Amu jumped and spun.

"Yoru!" she exclaimed in anger. The little chara crossed his arms and winked.

"Nobody!" Amu scoffed and turned her back on him.

"Did you get a cat-nya?!" He exclaimed.

"It's not for me!" she bristled.

"Then who?" Yoru asked.

"Why are you even here?" Amu scowled.

"Ikuto asked me to pick up a bag of catnip." The chara said. "Except he forgot normal people can't see me. He's so out of it…" Yoru muttered. Amu sighed.

~*~*~

Yoru bobbed up and down under the weight of the catnip bag he carried and floated away.

"He didn't even say thank you!" Ran exclaimed. Amu just smiled as she turned away and tucked her own bag into her pocket. Having helped Yoru buy the catnip for Ikuto, she had decided to buy the can of chicken flavored food and the tiny box of treats. One was bound to work, if not the other she reasoned. Luckily they were both small and fit nicely in her pocket for the toy had been pretty large.

Checking the time again, Amu started.

"We're going to be late!" she exclaimed and began running in the direction of the square. As she neared, Amu saw that all the other guardians were there waiting.

"There she is!" Yaya exclaimed. Everyone turned to look at her as Amu arrived panting.

"Amu-chan!" Tadase said.

Nagihiko smiled, and Rima asked why she was so late. Amu stuttered and made up and excuse about falling asleep accidentaly. Scratching the back of her head she hoped they would belive her.

"Ah, haha! That's your jocker!" someone exclaimed patting her on the back heartily.

"Uh…Kukai?" Amu asked.

"I'm coming too, to help backstage." The ex-guardian winked.

"Well, now that we're all here, let's go." Tadase said. They nodded and all began walking.

~*~*~

An hour later Amu had just reached the square and was saying goodbye to the other guardians. With a contented sigh, she waved and turned to walk home. Once Amu was safely out of the square and out of hearing or seeing range of the others she leaned against a wall and slumped down in exhaustion. It had been fun, nerve-racking and stressful, but now the ceremony was over.

"Amu-chan was amazing!" Ran exclaimed.

"Yeah, you were amazing!" Miki added. Su smiled and nodded.

"Arigato." Amu blushed slightly and stood to continue on her way home. She walked slowly, getting closer step by step. She was almost home when, passing a small alley that divided two houses, she thought there was some movement within. Looking closer, something or someone was slumped against the corner looking miserable.


	3. Tuna Treats

Nande? – casual why?

_**Link to image of Amu/Ikuto's outfits during story is on my homepage!**_

* * *

Kuroi Neko Amulet

Chapter Two

* * *

Amu peeked into the alley somewhat nervously. What could it be? Was it dangerous? The blob moved and she jumped back nervously.

"A-Amu-chan…" Su squeaked fearfully.

Poking her head around the corner again, Amu squinted curiously. Suddenly someone passed by the alley from the other side, momentarily shining a light into it. Through the brief light reflection, Amu caught a glimpse of bluish navy hair. The blob squinted away from the light and leapt to its feet.

"Ikuto!" Amu exclaimed as the figure leapt away. In mid leap, Ikuto looked down and saw her watching him unbeknown to the pink haired girl. He landed on the nearest rooftop hidden in the shadows. Amu watched him disappear into the black and figured he was gone. She let out a small, anime-style breath of exasperation and continued on her way home.

When Amu arrived, she called out to her family and walked up the stairs. Upon entering her room, she pulled out the bag containing the items she had bought and grabbed the box of cat treats. The box said they were filled with tuna inside the shell. Opening them curiously, she saw that they were just triangular little blocks. How unexciting. With a sigh, she threw her coat over the desk chair and plopped own on the bed with closed eyes. A few moments later, there was a squeak from Su and something nudged her belt. Amu pulled her eyebrows together and groaned at the disturbance.

"Please don't make erotic noises right now." A voice breathed in her ear. She could feel the warmth of someone very close and became instantly suspicious. Her eyes snapped open and Amu almost let out a terrified squeal.

The first thing she saw was a pair of luminous, dark, sapphire eyes clouded with a certain level of depression studying her face. Navy, fur like bangs brushed her forehead mixing with her own to create a blur of blue and pink. Upon inspection from further away, she would have noticed that it was the person's knee that had nudged her belt accidentally while springing on her. Perched on her bed like a cat and leaning over the frozen girl, Ikuto blinked.

Amu also blinked and squirmed slightly, from discomfort. He couldn't help but smile as her nose tapped his and her knee brushed his leg. Then, blinking again, Ikuto sprang back to a standing position giving Amu a chance to sit up.

"Oi! What was that!" she demanded blushing furiously.

"I smelled food coming from somewhere around you." He shrugged.

That reminded Amu of the cat treats. She spotted the corner of the box sticking out from under her pillow where she had tossed it before. Looking back at Ikuto, she reached for the box. He turned his gaze away from her three charas floating around, studying him suspiciously, and looked at her.

"Oh no! Character change-nya!" Yoru exclaimed from his perch on the windowsill.

The moment he saw the box, two navy cat ears appeared on Ikuto's head, perked in anticipation. A long tail swayed behind him and his ears swiveled around. Yoru slapped himself on the forehead and fell out the window. Amu pulled off her boots and sat cross-legged on the bed, tugging her dress down, before beginning to slowly open the box again. Ikuto's ears twitched at the noise and she grinned. He turned his head away in disgust but the ears stayed facing her eagerly.

Amu pulled out one of the triangular little treats and held it in her palm. A heavy scent of tuna wafted to her nose and she almost sneezed. Ikuto couldn't help but wiggle his tail slightly, though he still looked away. Amu extended her hand with the treat on her palm.

"You can have it." She offered.

"That's low…" Ikuto muttered. She couldn't help but smirk slightly before answering.

"What do you mean?"

Ikuto huffed and crossed his arms but didn't answer.

"Fine…" Amu said and began closing the box again. Ikuto's tail quivered even more and he suddenly couldn't control it anymore. With one quick leap, he landed on the bed knocking the box of treats over and spilling them all down the front of Amu's dress. Her three charas gasped and Yoru laughed from the windowsill having recovered himself in time to see. Ikuto ignored them all and lapped up the treats nearest her hand while Amu scrambled to get away – but she was trapped between her sheets and Ikuto. One of the treats smushed against her face and the bed post causing her to stop. Frozen in place, she waited until he had eaten all of them except for the few that had fallen between her legs onto the bed during the small struggle.

Eyes quivering, she watched Ikuto eye them then turn away – cat ears disappearing. Moving, he sat on the edge of her bed and shook his head dizzily. Amu cautiously positioned herself into a sitting arrangement and felt something oozing down her cheek.

Ikuto turned to her again and smirked before licking the dripping tuna that came from inside the smushed treat. Amu felt his rough, cat-like tongue brush her cheek twice before he moved away. She wrinkled her nose in disgust and crossed her arms angrily. That had not gone according to plan at all! – Though…he did seem amused…or happy to an extent.

"You're gross." She muttered.

"It was your fault for making me character change." He replied. Amu huffed and turned away from his smirking expression.

"Jerk…" she muttered. He suddenly stopped smirking and the looming cloud of depression returned. He stood and moved away from the bed.

"Yoru, we're going." He said in a melancholic tone. The chara moved away from where he was pestering Ran and flew out the window. Ikuto blinked and glanced at Amu before opening the door to her balcony and stepping out.

"Wait, Ikuto!" she called racing out after him. He leapt into the sky just as Amu grabbed the corner of his black shirt. He jumped up and she was pulled up slightly. Grabbing the railing of her banister, Amu anchored him and planted her feet back onto the ground. Ikuto looked back angrily as his leap was cut short and he was forced to spin and land on the balcony.

"What are you doing?" he demanded.

"You can't just leave!" she cried crossing her arms over her chest.

"Nande?" he asked somewhat interested but still irritably.

"Uh – I…" Amu paused wondering _why_ exactly. Ikuto raised his eyebrows and leaned against the railing to wait. Scowling, Amu turned around and blushed. "Fine. Leave." She said.

"Now I'm curious…" he murmured in her ear. His breath smelled like tuna due to the treats as it whisked past her cheek.

"Why do you always stand so close to me!" Amu exclaimed while turning and stepping back.

"What? Does it make you nervous?" Ikuto asked. Amu glowered and stalked back into her room.

"Do whatever you want!" she called over her shoulder. Flouncing down on the bed, she stretched and let out a big sigh. Amu closed her eyes for a few moments, then opened them again before standing. Glancing at the balcony, she saw that he was still standing there. With a roll of her gold eyes, she grabbed her pajama and slipped into the bathroom to shower.

* * *

Upon exiting the bathroom, with a happy smile and yawn, Amu entered her room. Her wet hair was dripping down the back of her pajama shirt and hanging in locks by her face. She plodded over to her bed and sat down leaning against the wall and reaching for her journal automatically.

…

…

Looking over to the usual spot, she saw it wasn't there. Beginning to freak out, she leapt up and looked all over the room. Her three charas were sleeping peacefully in their eggs by now and didn't wake. Twenty minutes later, Amu sat on the floor in front of her bed discouraged, irritated and ready to explode. Legs sprawled out on either side, she sighed sadly. Amu suddenly heard a slight smirk from her balcony. Snapping her head up, she froze.

Ikuto's tail was hanging down and peeking around the curtain from his perch – which she presumed was the rooftop. It was swaying side to side slowly and she suddenly figured where her journal was. Standing and creeping over to the balcony, she moved the curtain aside the rest of the way and positioned her fingers around the tail, though not touching it for something had caught her attention.

"Imagine, the kiddy king and that ex-Jack…" someone murmured above, obviously not amused.

"She always said she wasn't interested-nya!" Yoru laughed. Ikuto smirked slightly and Amu blazed below. She was about to close her fingers around the tail and pull when it flit out of her reach. He really was like a cat – she had seen them always flick their tails up and down in the same way out of habit. This made her blaze even more for missing. She waited until it came back, then Amu brushed her fingertips along three inches of the silky velvet tail catching Ikuto's attention. He made a small noise of question and leaned over to see what had touched him. At that moment Amu snatched his tail and yanked on it hard, pulling him off the roof. He let out a small yowl and landed in a crouch below.

"Thief!" Amu cried waking her charas. Ikuto frowned and turned to look at his tail. It seemed to be throbbing; he flicked it experimentally wincing ever so slightly. Amu took the chance to snatch her journal back and stuck her tongue out at him.

"You spelled my name wrong…" he muttered still trying to make blood circulate back into his tail. Amu cocked her head to the side.

"A…?"

Flipping the journal open to the first page she mentioned Ikuto, Amu looked at how she had spelled it. _I-k-u-t-o._ Wondering why that was wrong, she opened her mouth to ask but he caught her in a quick whack to the nose – more like a flick as he did to Yoru as punishment sometimes.

"Oi! What was that for!" she cried angrily.

"For pulling my tail." He replied nonchalantly.

"I only did that because you took my journal!" she exclaimed. Ikuto shrugged.

"You said to do as I wanted."

Amu fumed and clutched the journal to her chest tightly.

"..Get." she demanded through clenched teeth.

"Only until the part where you said 'Tadase-kun really is like a prince in so many ways except…'" and he paused for dramatic effect, emphasizing every word in a mocking tone, before continuing "'Ikuto is so cute too. I don't know what to do.'"

Amu could see the smirk hiding under his mask and her face blew up into a fit of blushing as she turned around and clenched her eyes together.

"Baka…"she whispered. Ikuto shook his head and laughed. A small, sorrowful laugh that caught Amu off guard. She spun around and examined his face intently. "Laugh again." She said. He immediately frowned and turned away. "Ikuto!" she called stubbornly and stomped her foot. He ignored her and leapt off the balcony to disappear into the night.


	4. Meeting

Nande? – casual why?

NOTE: It's 'To tell your father and me' not 'your father and I' so please don't write a review about this. The rule says that if you take out 'your father' it would be 'tell _me_.' Thank you.

* * *

Kuroi Neko Amulet  
Chapter Three

* * *

Amu walked down the path leading away from the garden with her school bag slung over her shoulder the next afternoon. The meeting had gone very late and the sun was setting as she crossed the street to walk towards her house.

"Amu-chan!" someone called suddenly. Amu looked up from the sidewalk and turned around to see Nagihiko running to catch up with her. He leaned over and panted tying to catch his breath for a moment. "A-are…" he started "are you, coming tonight?"

"Coming?" Amu echoed distractedly. "Where?"

"The Caretaker invited all the Guardians to a dinner in town tonight." Nagihiko smiled and handed her a note for her parents as proof.

"Oh, well I hadn't heard anything until now…" Amu mumbled accepting it.

"Are you ok?" Nagihiko asked worriedly.

"Nani? Oh, yes – fine. Um, I'll be there tonight I guess." Amu replied.

With that said and decided, Amu turned away and began walking towards her house again.

"It's in one hour!" Nagihiko called. "We'll meet at the center square again!"

Amu waved without looking back to signal that she understood, and turned around the corner onto her street. Listening to her feet tap against the pavement, and ignoring the babble of her charas, Amu thought about what she was going to do to make Ikuto happy. The treats hadn't worked, obviously. She paused to sweat drop at the memory and continued walking. There was still the can of chicken – stuff. But what if that spilled? Hm… Oh! No… She didn't even know when the next time Ikuto would be around was. Perhaps she should find Yoru.

Reaching her house, Amu called to her parents as usual and walked up to her room to drop her things. Sitting at her desk, Amu tossed her bag on the bed and leaned her head on her arms to sulk. Ikuto's problems always caused her problems. It wasn't fair. Deciding to sort through her closet for an outfit, Amu stood and walked over to the double doors that, behind which, hid all her clothing.

They were going out to eat invited by the Caretaker, who was also the founding king…hm…it might snow again too…what about the kind of place they where going to? Wishing she had paid more attention to Nagihiko, Amu began to sort through her things. Taking all the previous ideas into consideration, she finally decided on an outfit. Skipping happily down the stairs, she went to tell her parents where she was going and give them the note from the Caretaker.

"Amu-chan!" her mother called just as she was about to round the corner and enter the room.

"Nani?" she asked.

"Oh, there you are! I want you to wear this tonight for the diner." Her mother said handing Amu a large box.

"You knew?" Amu asked accepting the box. Her mother nodded.

"A kind gentleman came today to tell your father and me, so I went to buy you this!" she exclaimed happily. "Go try it on!"

Amu sighed.

A short while later, Amu stood in the middle of her room examining herself in a mirror on her wall. She wore a short, beige-ish gold plaid skirt with pleats and a tight, long-sleeved, off white sweater with a gold colored scarf, slightly darker than her skirt, draped around her neck as an accessory. Her pink hair was pulled back into two pigtails and she had disdainfully replaced the usual red clips with gold glittering rectangular ones. Slipping on a pair of white boots over her gold leg warmers, Amu glanced in the mirror again and sweat dropped. Her mother sure had an original sense of style. It was nothing like hers! There was no way she was going to wear this!

Walking down the steps, Amu growled to herself.

"Mom, I can't wear this –" she started but a bright flash cut her off in mid sentence.

"Oh, you look adorable!" her mother squealed as her father continued taking pictures.

"Dad!" Amu exclaimed backing towards the door. The snapshots kept coming so Amu quickly grabbed the nearest of her coats and raced out of the house forgetting all about her argument in an attempt to escape. Once she was safely outside and down the drive, Amu remembered what she was wearing and sighed. Shivering, she put on the long, black coat and continued on her way miserably.

"You look cute Amu-chan!" Su said encouragingly.

"I think it's nice." Miki said slightly proudly.

"Yeah! It's fine!" Ran exclaimed.

Amu smiled weakly at her charas and pulled the coat closer around herself. It had begun to snow again and the temperature outside was most likely below freezing. Nearing the center square, Amu had time to think as she listened to the soundless noises of the night. Then she began worrying. What would the others say? Would they think she was strange for dressing outside her style?

Entering the city, everything began to bustle and the soft snowy noiselessness disappeared. Chatter and city noises flooded louder and louder to Amu's ears as she neared the center. Lights flashed all sorts of things at her, jingle bells were heard all around and shops glittered brightly with all sorts of Christmas decorations. Christmas was only two weeks away so the tree had been set up in the center of the city and Amu steered towards it, using the tree as her guide. Reaching the edge of a large crowd and squeezing past a group of four or five other people, Amu finally spotted Pepe and Daichi floating up ahead. She called out then and ran up to the others. They all stood directly under the large Christmas tree chatting.

"Amu-chi!" Yaya squealed excitedly. Amu tried to close the coat and cover the majority of her outfit before the others saw it but she was too late. "What are you wearing?!" Yaya exclaimed. She pulled back the coat eagerly and cried out jealously. "Not fair! You look so cute!" the young Guardian pouted.

"Wow…" Rima simply said.

"A nice chance Hinamori!" Kukai laughed and punched her lightly on the arm. Tadase smiled warmly and Nagihiko laughed lightly. Amu instantly felt better. Nobody thought she looked odd. Good. Looking around at the group she saw that their host had yet to arrive.

"Where is the Caretaker?" she asked curiously.

"He's on his way." Tadase assured her.

Amu nodded and leaned against the base of the round, concrete centerpiece holding the tree like Kukai and looked up. The snow continued falling lightly and Amu closed her eyes to let it fall on her face. Something came up and knocked her in the nose lightly.

"Oi, wake up." Kukai laughed. Amu began to laugh with him when suddenly Yaya cried out again.

"Look! There he is! The founding king!"

And, lo and behold, the one otherwise known as 'caretaker of the planetarium' or 'founding king' came jogging over. He had snowflakes gathered in his dark blonde hair and adding up on his lashes making Amu wonder how far he had come to meet them.

"Gomennasai." He said and shook his hair out scattering snowflakes. Amu smiled along with the others and waited patiently to find out where they were going. Her thoughts didn't once stray to Ikuto, but they would…


	5. Amulet Neko Kuroi

daijoubu? – casual are you ok?

daijoubu desuka? – formal are you ok?

* * *

Kuroi Neko Amulet

Chapter Four

* * *

Amu walked long behind the founding king with the other guardians wondering why they were meeting. There couldn't be a problem that he wanted to discuss with them was there? With this worry, Amu stared at her feet and ended up trailing behind the others towards the end. No one seemed to notice though; Rima was walking along speaking softly with her chara and Yaya bounced along in the front with Kukai while Nagihiko and Tadase seemed to be in a deep conversation barely noticing what was going on around them. It was only as they passed a particularly noisy Christmas display that the two looked around and Tadase noticed Amu trailing slightly. He smiled and hung back until he was at her side.

"Daijoubu, Amu-chan?" he asked kindly.

"Huh?" Amu looked up and smiled quickly. Nodding once, she made a small noise of affirmation and continued walking. Eventually they began to talk conversationally, soon joined by Nagihiko and Kukai dragging Yaya in as well as Rima. The guardians all laughed and joked until they reached their destination where the founding king stopped. For the rest of the night, Amu enjoyed herself and, as it turned out, there was nothing to worry about in the first place. The only reason the founding king had taken them out was so that he could congratulate the guardians on all their hard work.

When everyone finished, dessert included, they all vacated the restaurant and said their goodbyes before going their different ways. Amu gave one last wave before turning and walking in the direction of her house. She was in an amazingly good mood despite the bad humor she had been in earlier.

Walking down the street and passing the last alleyway in the city, (without realizing it) Amu began to hum the tune she had last heard Ikuto play on his violin. Something suddenly bright lit up in the alleyway catching her attention and Amu turned to see what it could be. The light died just as quickly as it had flared and left the alley in darkness once more. Amu heard shuffling and her curiosity peaked as she took a few steps to investigate. Once she entered the alleyway, Amu saw a shape that she recognized.

"Ikuto!" she called in shock. The shape of a boy suddenly looked up and for a few seconds everything around her vanished as Amu stared into his glowing sapphire eyes. Then he leapt out of the alleyway and disappeared leaving poor Yoru behind. Amu reached out a hand as if to stop him and called out but Ikuto was gone. Yoru let out a whine and was about to follow when Amu called out to him. "Yoru wait!" she exclaimed and ran to where the small chara floated impatiently. "What was Ikuto doing? What was that light?" she demanded.

"The light was not Ikuto-nya." Yoru replied. "It was a person, Christmas-nya!"

With that, Yoru vanished into the dark, moonlit sky in search of Ikuto once more. Amu was left wondering what had happened. Was this an effect of the depression she had noted in Ikuto over the last few days? She also wondered if he might pop into her room again. With this idea, Amu turned and bolted out of the alley. The snow continued to fall, gathering in Amu's hair as she ran.

"Amu-chan!" her charas called in protest. Amu ignored them and kept running.

When she finally reached her house, Amu bolted up the stairs barely stopping long enough to call a quick hello to her parents. Racing up the steps, Amu shoved the door to her room open and stood panting in the doorway. There, on her bed, was absolutely nothing. Amu's heart sank and she hung her head with a small sigh. Wait, why was she so eager to see if he would arrive? She suddenly wondered this as her charas floated in.

"Amu-chan really wanted to see Ikuto…" Miki said tiredly as she entered the room and plopped down on the bed panting.

"Yeah…" added Ran as she followed Miki in. Su was quiet as she flounced down onto the bed panting as well.

"I was not!" Amu exclaimed. "I just wanted to get home!" she huffed and threw her black coat over the desk chair. In reality Amu was a little disappointed but she didn't particularly know why. Sitting on her bed, she looked around and saw that her room was just how she had left it before. Collapsing on her bed, Amu let her head hang back over the edge and stared out the balcony door. Something suddenly bumped it and obstructed her view of the outside. Ikuto's face hung upside down, or right side up seeing as Amu's was upside down, in front of her. Amu almost let out a shriek of surprise and sat bolt upright. Turning, she stood and opened the door.

"You dropped this as you ran home." Ikuto announced. He held up a small, rectangular gold clip. Amu put out her hand and he dropped it in her palm. As he turned to go, Amu called out.

"Wait, what were you doing before?" she asked clutching the clip and holding it to her chest as she waited for Ikuto's response. He froze with one foot on her banister in a ready crouch.

"Brooding." He replied quietly.

"B-brooding?" Amu repeated slightly confused. "Why?"

Ikuto stepped down from the banister as Yoru flew in Amu's face.

"It's none of your business-nya!" he exclaimed, but Ikuto interrupted him.

"No, let's tell her Yoru. She deserves to know." Ikuto turned and stared at Amu making her blush due to its intensity. "The reason I've been hanging around in alleys and acting the way I've been is because of a certain depression."

"That's why he's been hanging around you-nya!" Yoru added. "To help him try and cheer u-NYA!" Ikuto flicked the little chara across the head sending it spiraling.

"That's enough, Yoru." He said sternly. Amu wondered if that was true. He was hanging around her in order to cheer up? At least Ikuto had cleared up her suspicions of his cheerlessness lately and now that she thought about it, Amu had seen Ikuto a lot lately. Usually they only met for very brief times every now and again. Remembering her vow to make him laugh, Amu figured now was a good a time as any.

"If that's true let me make you laugh!" she exclaimed somewhat desperately for Ikuto still looked as if her where about to dart. He smiled in amusement, though Amu saw the forcibility behind that action. She stomped her boot in stubborn determination and grabbed Ikuto's hand. Dragging him into her room, she pushed him onto the bed and stood defiantly in front. He didn't seem to object so she turned and began thinking of what to do.

"Yoru!" she summoned. The chara flew to her and floated by in attendance. "You are going to give me ideas ok?" she said softly enough so that Ikuto wouldn't hear. Yoru nodded reluctantly. He wanted to help Ikuto cheer up even if it ment helping Amu do it.

First Amu tried to make a stupid face. Pulling at her cheeks and letting a strangely absurd expression cross her features, Amu turned to look at Ikuto and made odd noises. He raised an eyebrow but didn't smile. Amu turned and began to whisper again. Next, she tried stomping around and acting like a dinosaur. She figured since it always made Ami laugh, she might as well try it. Ikuto turned away. Lastly, Amu tried saying 'Basugasubakuhatsu' to no avail and Ikuto didn't even blink. With a tired sigh, Amu collapsed into a heap on the floor. She let out a small whine inquiring as to why Ikuto wouldn't laugh.

"Because you are not funny." He replied. Amu snapped back a retort and the two began to argue.

Meanwhile Yoru was trying to think of new ways to make Ikuto laugh. He suddenly remembered something Ikuto had said before he became depressed. With a cry of triumph, he flew towards Amu and cried out "Chara Change!"

Both Amu and Ikuto looked up not yet registering while Ran, Miki and Su let out a sudden exclamation of protest. Before anyone could do anything though, Yoru had proceeded to enter Amu and force a Character change out of her. Two black ears suddenly appeared on the top of Amu's head and a long tail flicked behind her. Amu's hands flew to her face as she made a small noise like a meow and bat her hands like paws. _Yoru!_ She thought angrily exploding at the guardian chara in her head. Meanwhile Ikuto let a tiny smile flit across his mouth but it quickly vanished. This was all the encouragement Yoru needed. "Transformation!" he cried through Amu and made her do the 'unlock' motion.

A bright white light filled the room as Amu and Yoru began to transform. Amu's hair was let out of its pigtails as the light surrounded her and Yoru entered his egg. Merging together through the power of the Dumpty Lock, Yoru and Amu began to transform. Amu's ears stayed in place as did her tail but suddenly her skirt changed to black and two black and purple checkered leg warmers appeared to replace her gold ones over a pair of black tennis shoes. A black collar appeared around her neck with a gold bell and her arms acquired two long, black leather arm warmers that reached past her knuckles. Her shirt changed to a short, black top that didn't reach past her naval. Lastly, Amu obtained a tiny black bow tied around her tail. The light around her receded leaving Amu standing in the middle of her room with the character changing Yoru.

"Amulet Kuroi Neko…" Ran, Miki and Su gapped in shock.

"Yoru!" Amu exclaimed angrily.

Ikuto himself looked a little bit taken aback, but Yoru wasted no time in manipulating Amu again. He was determined to make Ikuto laugh and told Amu so in her mind. Amu sighed and gave in despite how ridiculous she thought this was. Yoru laughed his little cat laugh and made Amu hover in the air a few centimeters just as Amulet Heart could. The small bell around her neck tinkled.

"Yoru this is silly." Amu said except is came out with a little –nya at the end. Clapping a hand over her mouth, Amu landed on the ground as Yoru burst into laughter inside her. "Yoru, this isn't funny-nya!" she exclaimed angrily. Ikuto smiled again but Amu took no notice. "Yoru unchanged now-nya!" she demanded. The little chara refused. "Yoru-nya!" she cried.

Each time Amu spoke with the small –nya at the end of her sentence, Ikuto's smile grew. He couldn't help but be amused. "Yoru get out now-nya!" Amu continued. Yoru ignored her and made Amu hover again. She floated unbalanced and getting edgier at each passing flail of her arms. "Yoru-nya!" she cried and fell backwards with her feet flying up. Ikuto let out a tiny laugh and Amu reversed floating forwards and upside down now. Her skirt flew up but a pair of black shorts was present. "Yoru-nya!" she cried again still angrily. This was not only embarrassing but it was in front of Ikuto! Flipping Amu a few times like a trained gymnast, Yoru cried out a happy gurgle only Amu heard. "This is fun-nya!" Amu said for him. "It is not-nya!" she exclaimed in retort. Ikuto's small laugh slowly began to escalate until he was chuckling almost as a normal person would. The scene in front of him was obviously funny enough to push the depression cloud away. Another flip and Yoru was ecstatic. He made Amu hover higher and then finally flung her into Ikuto's arms. The boy looked down with a smile evident on his face as Amu looked up and blushed scarlet red. Her ears gave a small twitch when suddenly she returned back to normal. Yoru cried out happily as he flew to float beside Ikuto's ear. Amu still blushed but the moment she saw him, she frowned and made to grab Yoru.

The small chara flew just out of her reach enraging the young pink haired girl. "Yoru!" she exclaimed and scrambled to grab the chara. Ikuto got whacked a little as she did so and he had to grab Amu's waist as she reached over his shoulder trying to strangle the small guardian. "You're going to get it Yoru!" Amu cried not caring about Ikuto at the moment. "How could you do that!?" she raged kicking and struggling to grab him.

"Oi, OI!" Ikuto exclaimed being flung back due to her struggling. Amu felt her base shift and suddenly her head hit something hard – presumably Ikuto's skull. Her eyes had shut and Amu winced from the pain. Ikuto obviously was in pain as well for he winced a little as well. Amu waited a few moments for her pain to reside before opening them again. What she saw made her heart stop and skip a beat before racing ahead loudly. Ikuto's bright cobalt eyes were blazing holes into hers as she lay there. He smirked under her and Amu felt his bangs brush her forehead due to the small motion. Feeling as if she was laying atop an over grown cat made Amu slightly less nervous though it should have made her more.

"G-gomennasai…" she stuttered and made to quickly sit up. Ikuto however smirked and wrapped his arms around her holding Amu prisoner there. "I-Ikuto?" she asked in confusion. "Let go…" she requested softly. He ignored her and rolled over smushing the young girl into the bed. "Ikuto!" Amu exclaimed. He chuckled again and made no move to let go. "Let go!" Amu exclaimed again and struggled to be freed. "I'm stuck…" he murmured. "You are not!" Amu defied. "You have to un-stick me!" he groaned. Amu cried out in protest and struggled violently under his weight. "Ikuto!" she exclaimed again. He smirked one last time and let her go as he rolled over on his back and sat up. Amu sat up and rubbed her head. "You're so irritating!" she cried and stormed over to her desk.

Ikuto smirked again and walked to her balcony. Amu watched angrily as he perched himself on the edge to spring away. Looking back, Ikuto called to Yoru before disappearing into the night leaving Amu angrily behind. She stuck her tongue out at the empty balcony before storming out of the room to shower.


	6. Horror Movie

Onee-chan ~ Big sister

Ohayo – informal good morning like 'morning

NOTE: I'm much too lazy to conform this idea on my own because it would take too much energy so I'll ask you all. Should I, or should I not have Ikuto and Amu paired up to go to a: the beach b: somewhere else? These fit in with the coming plot but the beach takes to much creativity…post answer in your review please. ^.^ ~ desu

Also, no more updates until I get five new reviews! *pout*

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Kuroi Neko Amulet

Chapter Five

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The next morning Amu was roughly awakened by none other then sweet little Ami.

"Wake up Onee-chan! Now!" the little girl cried angrily. She shook Amu's bed and the young pink haired girl reluctantly sat up and rubbed her eyes.

"Nani, Ami?" she asked sleepily.

"Mama and Papa are taking me to see a play today! You get to watch the house!" Ami replied sweetly all anger vanishing. Devious yet charming. Amu groaned and flopped back onto the bed. "I'll tell them you said ok." Ami giggled and left the room.

The next time Amu moved from her bed it was quite late in the morning and the whole house was empty. Standing and trudging slowly down stairs, Amu yawned. Her parents and Ami had definitely gone and there was no trace of human life anywhere. Miki, Ran and Su were playing on the counter with Yoru who seemed to appear out of nowhere lately. Wondering if Ikuto was around, Amu decided she didn't care due to last night. She also ignored his shugo chara. "Ohayo Miki, Ran, Su." She greeted while passing them.

"Ohayo, Amu-chan!" they replied.

"Ohayo-nya!" Yoru echoed cheerfully. Amu made a face and plopped down onto the sofa. Yoru flew to her side and sat on the couch beside her completely unaware. "Ikuto has been so much happier-nya!" he exclaimed euphorically. Amu couldn't help but smile and give a tiny nod while turning on the TV and flipping through channels. She found nothing of interest and decided on a horror movie to pass the time. This may not have been a smart idea seeing as she was terrified of everything. Either way Amu stuck to it and curled up in a blue blank wrapping herself tightly in it. Miki, Ran, Su and Yoru came to sit by her head and watch as well. All five of them were on the edges of their seat for the next half hour.

The murdering vampire was just about to kill and/or bite the beautiful little protagonist girl when suddenly Amu felt as if it all came to life. She could feel the breath of the vampire by her left ear and the last lines were muttered in that same cruel tone – or so she thought. Then, just as the vampire was about to bite the girl, Amu felt two rows of teeth sink into her neck and saliva drip on her soft skin. She let out a shriek and shot up from the couch throwing all the charas into a whirlwind of excitement and fear. Someone behind them chuckled and Amu spun angrily.

"Ikuto!" she roared. The accused boy smirked and climbed over the back of the couch to lie where Amu had just been lying. He looked up innocently at her while Amu began to rage angrily. "Jerk! Normal people don't go around biting sixth graders! And that's my spot! Get up! You're such a perverted freak Ikuto!" she exclaimed grabbing the blanket from under him. Ikuto refused to move so Amu grudgingly curled herself up in the blanket once more and sat on the other side to see if she could decipher what had happened in the movie and catch up.

Ikuto however was not satisfied by being ignored. Looking over at Amu, who was curled up in the blanket staring intensely at the TV and twisting the blue cloth between her fingers in angst, suddenly found himself wishing he could become that blanket and curl up with her. With a perverted smirk, he moved to sit up and tried to think of something to annoy Amu with. As he did so, the vampire on TV suddenly lurched and Amu let out a squeal. She turned and grabbed the nearest thing which she presumed was the back of the sofa and buried her face in it.

"My, my, someone's being friendly today." A voice murmured in her ear as two arms came and pulled Amu up. Amu's eyes snapped open as she inhaled a cat like scent and she immediately looked up. She relaxed momentarily. It was just Ikuto being perverted again. Wait, that was bad!

"Ikuto!" Amu exclaimed struggling to get away from him. He smirked and held her just as he had yesterday, forcing Amu to sit on his lap. She remembered last night and figured it was useless to fight it seeing as Ikuto was so much older, stronger and, not that it made a difference but, he was a boy. With a nasty sigh, Amu pulled the blanket tighter around herself and curled up against Ikuto. She felt him smirk and 'accidentally' shifted so that she nailed him in the chest with her elbow. It was as hard as rock or much like it making Amu's elbow throb slightly. But determined not to give Ikuto the satisfaction, she didn't say anything rather deciding to ask a question instead. First she wiggled and tried to get into a slightly more comfortable position without hurting herself, seeing as it didn't matter if she hurt Ikuto. He grunted uncomfortably as she squirmed and finally sat still with her head under Ikuto's chin.

"How come you always hold me?" she asked somewhat irritably. Yes, her question was a little bit rude, but Amu didn't care really. It was only true.

"You shouldn't be watching such violent things." Ikuto replied ignoring her question. Amu made a noise of inquiry compelling Ikuto to sweep a hand towards the TV and cause Amu to look back at it. She realized she hadn't been paying much attention to the movie and the scene suddenly startled her. Letting out another impulsive cry of fright, Amu turned and, knocking Ikuto in the chin, she buried her face in his shirt again. Forgetting it was him she let out a tiny whimper and pulled herself closer as if trying to escape the scene that was before her. He smirked and for a while they stayed that way. That was until Ikuto decided to be annoying again. "Hey…" he suddenly murmured in her ear. Amu's left eye opened prompting Ikuto to continue. "I'm kind of hungry…" he drawled softly. Amu shifted in her seat and noticed the movie was over. Sitting up she looked at Ikuto about to ask what he wanted to eat. He beat her to it though. "Do you have any strawberries?" he asked. Amu thought for a moment then shook her head.

"Nope." She replied somewhat tartly. Ikuto smirked – she had fallen right into that one.

"Yes you do, I'm looking right at one." He replied and laughed. Amu blushed scarlet red and leapt up from his lap accidentally tangling herself in the blanket. Tripping, she would have bonked her head on the glass coffee table had Ikuto not pulled her up again.

"You are such a perv…"she muttered trying to untangle her legs from the blanket while sitting in Ikuto's lap again. He tried to help as did the four charas but it just ended up getting not only Amu tangled, but Ikuto as well. With a groan, she leaned back tiredly. Ikuto smirked again and with one clean swipe, had the blanket off. Amu realized he must have been teasing again and tangling them up on purpose. She was too used to this by now to utter any protest and stood to get a bowl of cereal or something of the sort for breakfast. Watching a horror movie on the lap of a perverted high schooler was not the best way to start your Saturday morning but Amu couldn't have helped it really.

As Amu began to rummage around in the kitchen, her thoughts strayed from the cat on her couch and to the rest of her day. What was she to do? Possibly meet the other guardians or find Yaya, Rima and Nagihiko to go shopping with. Despite Nagihiko being a boy, he was so much like Nadeshiko that she couldn't help but think of them as the same person almost. Suddenly, Ikuto asked a question randomly out of thin air making Amu drop the glass she was holding. Luckily it didn't shatter as she stared out the window completely taken aback.

"Have you ever kissed anyone?" he asked. Ikuto immediately repelled and wished he hadn't asked though his face was indifferent. What if she had? Her first kiss would be gone and possibly even to, it churned his insides so to think it, the _Kiddy King_. Amu meanwhile thought about answering then decided it must just be another of his stupid jokes and decided to ignore him. Or…a sudden idea occurred and Amu smirked to herself. All those times he had teased her and she had plotted revenge but failed time after time. This time would be different. – oh he was in for it now.

"Yes I have." She replied simply causing Ikuto to look up slightly unsettled.

"Who?" he asked.

"Oh Tadase, except that's not all." She said and turned. Walking over to Ikuto she sat beside him on the couch and went to his ear as if to tell a secret.

"I haven't exactly told my parents yet," she started and Ikuto's cat ears twitched in anticipation. "and the charas don't know either but…I'm pregnant." She ended with an uncharacteristic giggle necessary to make him believe her. Amu almost let out a squeal of delight due to the reaction she got out of Ikuto. His face alone could have killed her had the latter statement been true. Clouded eyes, fierce worry lines and anger etched all over his beautiful face made Amu finally feel satisfaction for all those times he had bothered her. Suddenly his face changed and Ikuto smirked making Amu wonder if he caught her bluff.

"Let's play doctor then." He murmured. "Everyone needs a checkup now and then, especially _mothers_…" he said seductively. Amu froze in place and suddenly jumped away.

"I was kidding! I've never been kissed!" she shrieked. Ikuto chuckled.

"I figured as much…" he replied and lay down again to begin flipping through channels. Amu was bright red as she returned to finish her cereal.

A short while later, after putting everything away in the sink, Amu walked to the staircase and called out informing Ikuto she was going to change. He only replied a small, bored 'hai' and continued flipping through the channels. When Amu was dressed, she bounced back down the stairs and found her charas and Yoru playing on the counter again. With a smile she walked past them and sat on the edge of the couch to face Ikuto. "What are you going to do now? It's Saturday, I want to go out with the other Guardians." Ikuto looked up at her and turned off the TV, sitting up.

"Eh? I don't know. Where were you planning on going?" he asked. As he waited for Amu's reply, Ikuto did a sort of cat stretch. Amu tried not to laugh.

"I was going to call Yaya. She always knows what to do. You need to leave though." She replied.

"Aww, but I want to stay with you!" he did a sort of half pout and Amu frowned.

"Too bad." She snapped. "I think I need to go Christmas shopping anyways. Yeah, I'll call Yaya and see if she wants to come!" Amu exclaimed reaching for her cell. Before she could grab the small phone off the table, Ikuto snatched it.

"Let's just stay home together." He said. "Besides, you told your parents you'd house sit."

Amu growled and frowned. He was right; she had promised. "Great," she muttered crossing her arms and leaning back into the couch. "Now I'm stuck at home all day with this baka." She grumbled. Ikuto grinned in response. This was going to be fun…


	7. Epilogue

**It's been….o.o…almost…a year. *hides in a hole* I have an excuse! …and I just forgot it. -.- Anywho, please don't kill me. My writing has gotten better since this horrid thing began so be grateful you don't have to be read crap! Which is your fault for clicking on this in the first place anyways. x)p My writing still sucks but it's a tad bit better now I hope. Also, I no longer use this account! This account has been given to my two younger sisters and therefore I no longer write for it anymore! If you'd like to contact me please search for CanalaveCoast. I'll have some SC stuff up as soon as I can there. If you have any story or short scene ideas feel free to PM them to me and I'll do them as quickly as I can. I often take months to come up with a good idea so the more you send, the more you get. This is the last chapter to resolve things here. Thanks for reading~**

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The snow fell quietly that night as Amu entered her room and shut the door. It had been the most stressful day she'd had to endure since the pink haired girl could last remember. Who knew that Ikuto could be such a vexation to such an extent _especially_ when bored! Amu could _never _have guessed as much. He'd forced her to take control of every ounce of willpower the small frame of a sixth grader could hold in order to keep herself from firstly, dying, and secondly inflicting physical pain that would undoubtedly hurt her rather than the intended target.

In between the constant arguments, awkward situations and generally perverted circumstances that Ikuto often managed to create though, there had been a few moments of calm in which Amu had learned a thing or two about the obnoxious neko. For example, his favourite colour was navy blue. In addition, Amu had also had a few, very few, moments in which she almost enjoyed Ikuto's company. But then something would happen to make her regret ever meeting him at all.

So it was now with an exhausted sigh that the girl collapsed on her bed headfirst into the sheets and lay unmoving for a good five minutes. Her parents and Ami had yet to return from the theatre but when she'd come up, Amu had been definite to make clear that Ikuto neither follow nor stick around much longer. She was almost certain he'd gone by now and with a soft groan, flipped over with her eyes shut to let out a sigh. The scent of catnip still stung sharply in her nose from the full day of being around an individual that had the smell constantly following him. That and the feeling of fur often brushing over some part of her were things that often stuck with Amu for a little while after being around Ikuto. It was now that those feeling of fur being brushed over her face returned and Amu unconsciously batted away the tail that she knew wasn't there.

The three charas that where her personality could-be's had come up long ago and now lay nestled quietly in their eggs by Amu's dresser as a clock ticked the seconds away one by one. A frigid wind blew in through Amu's open balcony door and the girl momentarily shivered. The sudden wonder of how long she'd left that open crossed the pink haired girl's mind and she opened her eyes to gaze at the ceiling. Coming to her feet slowly, Amu walked over to her door and stepped outside. It was a beautifully calm night. Snow fell silently from the heavens and came to rest gently on the rooftops, balconies, railings, streetlights and finally the ground. It was a magnificent sight as her whole block seemed blanketed in a white glow. Placing one hand on the railing, Amu smiled and gazed over the scene.

"Amused?" a voice asked. Amu's face contorted to one of annoyance and she twitched whilst sweat dropping. He still wasn't gone?

"Why don't you go home already?!" the pink haired girl exclaimed turning and taking a step foreword to the space where she thought Ikuto was perched. "Oh~?" Eyebrows raising, Amu cocked her head to the side as a deserted balcony faced her. There was nothing there. Had she imagined the voice after a full day spent around the annoyance that was its owner? There was more than a possibility that it might be so. Letting her shoulders drop from the tense position she'd raised them to when exclaiming, the girl turned again to gaze over her railing and let out a shriek. The ghost of the spirit that resided within her seemed to leave Amu as the young sixth grader leapt back.

"I was just on my way out," the voice responded. Tsukiyomi Ikuto gazed with a mischievous glint in his bright eyes at the girl he'd pestered all day. Having perched himself on her railing, the boy now crouched before her seemed about to leap off and disappear any moment.

"G-Good!" Amu retorted still shocked and with a comical face of distorted anger. With half a smirk, Ikuto bowed his head and nodded. Amu twitched and waited for him to vanish.

"But I wanted to thank you for that last bag of catnip I found under your bed." Ikuto continued. Amu raised a confused eyebrow and sweat dropped again. Grunting in acknowledgement, the girl crossed her arms and again waited for the boy to disappear. As he continued to casually procrastinate his departure, Amu finally moved her hands in a shooing motion.

"Well you can go now. You've accomplished what you came for." she said continuing to shoo him. Ikuto gave a lopsided smile and turned his previously fixed gaze away from her face. Closing his eyes, the boy bowed his head.

"Yeah, I guess I can." he muttered quietly. "Arigato, Amu-chan."

And with those last utterances barely audible to the girl, Ikuto vanished into the snowy night. Amu gave a small 'hmph' of approval and turned to enter her room once more. As the balcony door slid closed with a pop, the girl turned to ready herself for bed. Completely unaware of the relief Amu had given Ikuto from his depression and much more, the girl would never come to senses with the impact she had on the teen's life. She might think relieving Ikuto of his depression was the only thing she'd managed to accomplish over the past few weeks but in truth, much more had been achieved. In a sense, it might be best, seeing as her obliviousness kept them both on their toes but the day Amu finally steps out of her denial will truly be one to witness. Seeing as that is not to happen in this scene, this day or this time we must be content with the snow that falls gently outside and revel in the idea that it reflects a clear mirrored image of the way these two have taken a sure step foreword.


End file.
